Finding the Folks
by HPLurvkriff
Summary: Tired of Nick's wall of silence, Judy searches out Nick's family herself.
1. Chapter 1

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:  
This is my first time writing in a long time. So, this is more of a work in progress than I'd like. But I do have most of the story written out. I say mostly because I'm debating on adding one more chapter or not. So if anyone wants to help proofread the entire thing, just let me know!**

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1**

It was a bright and sunny day in the Meadowlands. With a name like that you'd expect it to be a fairly flat section of the city, but being a sub-division of the Rainforest District it was still covered by many large trees. Most of which were used as homes or businesses. But there were fewer of them, allowing more natural light into this section.

Judy looked down at her phone, following the next instruction to her destination. A few turns later she looked up at the street sign that read " Ave". She looked down the long street, at all the nearly carbon copy house fronts. It wasn't the classiest looking neighborhood but it looked happy. Which for some reason made it more intimidating to Judy.

If the place was a dump or some den of scum and villainy, she could pass through with not issue. But thinking things like that made her feel guilty which then amplified the intimidation of this nice woodland neighborhood.

Worst of all, it was breaking her heart. Seeing such a nice place like this, it was hard for her to understand how he could have fallen so low from such a nice place growing up.

"Oh Nick" she whispered barely registering she even said anything before taking a deep breath and stepping down the street.

They had been partners for going on three years now, counting the nighthowler case. It wasn't long after they were partnered professionally that it became personal as well. Looking back on it, she's surprised that they only just moved in together not quite a year ago. Seems like something they should have done ages ago.

But in all that time, in all the talking over dinner, during a bad movie while cuddling at home, late at night in bed as they drift off to sleep, he has never talked about his family. The only story she ever got out of him was the one of him wanting to be a Junior Ranger Scout. Any time she tried bring anything about his family he slipped his way out of it, like he was a sly fox or something.

Two months ago Judy got the final straw that broke the proverbial bunny's back. She was in the hospital filling out a form of Nick's information. It was such a stupid accident. Judy had never gone sledding and at the end of their beat in Tundra Town that day he convinced to try it out.

It would have been fun, but too many kids built snow ramps randomly on the hill. Nick hit one and took to the air, and smacked his head on some ice when he landed. He ended up with a simple concussion but he was out long enough for Judy to fill out most of his personal information in the ER.

But she stared at the next few boxes asking for the names of his family members. When she was in the hospital after the nighthowler incident, her folks kept threatening to come up there. She was just in the hospital for two days, tending to the wound on her leg. Hearing from her folks and seeing them from the phone chat over those two days gave her a great comfort. Something she wished Nick had.

After that she vowed to find out about his family. While she could just punch up any information she wanted through her access at the ZPD, that'd be too quick and easy. She didn't just want to see a file sheet on Nick and his family. In the end she bribed Clawhauser to look up Nick's registration form. One is supposed to put all names of their immediate family members for background checks. Judy only put parents and her eight closest siblings. Doing a full background check on a rabbit family must be a logistical nightmare.

All he had down was one name and no address. She had to do her own digging to find anything else.

And so there she was, standing in front of 867 Ave, home of Mrs Marie-Ann Wilde.

Putting her phone back into her pocket, she adjusted her belt and badge. Even though she wasn't on duty, and it was technically against policy to be in uniform and not on the clock, she figured she'd get less looks walking through a neighborhood of foxes.

The screen door opened with a screech that reminded her of the barn door back on the farm. She knocked three times on the door. Not cop knocks, but softer more pleasant knocks.

Behind the door she could hear voices and movement. The lock clicked and the door opened a crack, the chain still lached.

"What do you want?" The vixen had the same red coat Nick had, but she definitely didn't look old enough to be his mother.

"Is Mrs Marie-Ann Wilde in?"

The door shut slightly as the fox turned around, "Ma', it's for you!"

"Who is it?"

"A cop."

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

The door nearly shut but she heard the chain unlatch. When the door opened again a matronly old fox stood at the door. Her red coat going grey on the edges and more than a few wrinkles around her muzzle, which seemed to be permanently stuck in a casual smile .

"Oh a rabbit. Don't see to many of your kind around here," Judy was about to respond to that but was interrupted, "But never mind me. What is it that you want?"

"Are you the mother of Nicholas Wilde?"

Her smile disappeared, "Whatever he's done and gotten himself into this time, it's his business."

"No, ma'am. It's not that. It's…"

The old fox gasped, her blue eyes sunk down, "I feared this day would come. I… I don't want to know what happened."

It took Judy a moment to connect the dots, "Oh sweet cheese and cracker! No, nothing like that either."

"Well, if my brother ain't dead, or in jail, why are you here?" The younger vixen said from in the house bouncing a little fox in her arms.

"Well," she took a deep breath and thought to herself _Just make it short and quick, like taking off a band-aid_ , "I work with Nick at the ZPD, he never talks about his family, and I finally had enough of his silence and had to find you myself."

"So you're saying Nick works for the cops?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"What, like a snitch?" The younger one asked.

"No. He's an officer like myself. Like I said, my partner."

The two foxes stared at her for several blinks and then bust into laughter.

"Look, little bunny, I don't know who set up this little prank but I think it's run its course. Just hop along home now."

"No, I have proof!" she pulled out her phone and flipped through her photos.

"Here he is graduating from Police Academy. And.." swipe, swipe, "Here he is on our first day together pulling over a speeder."

"Is that a sloth in the car?" The younger fox leaned in.

"And here, I even have this…" she hit the screen to play a video she saved.

The screen showed Nick writing out a report after a long day of walking their beat. He looked at the page like it was written in alien language that kept changing shapes..

"Hey, Nick!" Judy's sing song voice came from off screen, "Look what I got!"

A jelly filled doughnut waved briefly across the screen. Nick looked up and sniffed.

"Blueberry?" His eyes lit up.

"Yup!"

He went to reach for it but Judy jumped back, "Buuut!"

"Carrots, you know I hate buts…." and he muttered something the camera didn't pick up.

She giggled, "And don't I know it. But you have to finish that report within the hour or I'm giving it to Clawhauser."

"What?! That's only…" he looked at the clock on the wall, "Fifteen minutes."

"Tick, tock Office Wilde."

He began to scribble furiously over the page, "Mark my words, Carrots. If I don't get the doughnut, I WILL get my revenge."

Judy laughed and the video cut off. In the end, he was five minutes late but she still let him have the doughnut.

"I… I just…", Marie-Ann looked like she saw a fish jump out of the ocean and knit a sweater, she slowly made her way to an old, worn, but very comfortable looking chair and sat down.

"Come, come. Sit." she waved Judy into the house.

It didn't look like a house anyone would run away from. Even though it was the first time she had ever been in the house, she felt very much at home. Maybe it was that she's gotten used to the scent of a fox at home.

"What was your name dear?"

"Hopps. Judy Hopps," she held out her paw, "I have to say, I'm happy to finally meet you, ma'am."

The old fox shook the rabbit's paw, "Marie-Ann. And that's Natalie, with little Marian."

She hopped over to Natalie, "Pleasure to meet you."

"Yeah, sure." She turned to her mother, "I'm going to put the baby down upstairs. If she starts asking for money, just bite her."

Judy stood flabbergasted at the fox's rudeness, her mouth open trying to say something back but a red fluffy tail thwacked her in the face. She heard Natalie mutter, "Dumb bunny" as the vixen headed upstairs.

"Don't mind her, she doesn't really like anyone. Well Miss Hopps, I must say it's quite shock."

"What is?"

"All of it my dear. But are you just some nosey little nelly? Why look up his past if he doesn't want you to."

Rubbing the back of her paw, she blushed a little, "Because as partners we work the best when we know everything we can. Especially about each other."

"Alright Miss Hopps, I'll let you know about my boy but you got to tell me how he changed. Some one thwack in the head too hard and get his wires fried?"

Judy's laugh was a tad bit more forced than she intended, "Ah no, not exactly. Do you remember the nighthowler incident a few years back? Predators getting drugged into a state of pure animal rage?"

"Darling, I haven't watched the news in fifteen years. I was always afraid I'd see his face pop up one night."

"Well" she chuckled, "It did, but because helped catch the person behind all the attacks."

"Why don't you start out at the beginning, darling. How'd you meet Nick?"

"It was my first day on the job, and they had me writing parking tickets in Savannah Square….."

The afternoon quickly faded to faded to evening as Judy told the adventure of her and Nick's first case together, even if he wasn't a cop. She tried to gloss over the part with Mr. Big but she apparently knew Nick had some dealings with him, and it was obvious that was something she didn't like.

The phone in her pocket vibrated, she looked down at it. There were a series of texts from Nick, the first was a carrot emoji with a question mark.

"It's getting kind of late."

"Oh goodness! So it is." They both got up, Judy was fast enough to attempt to help Marie-Ann who just shooed her attempt away.

"It was nice of you to come by. And honestly, it was good to hear about my son in positive light again. I never thought that'd happen."

"Well I got more where that came from, ma'am."

With a soft laugh she waved at Judy again, "Enough with the ma'am. By all accounts you're the reason my boy isn't grifting. Just call me Marie-Ann."

She blushed in embarrassment, "Okay"

"And give a call before you come over next time."

Judy's head snapped back up at Marie-Ann, "Next time?"

"Of course, dearie. You got to tell me how you met my boy. I never got to tell you about him. So just give me a ring before you come over, I'll make you something to eat. Or at least get you something you can eat. Don't think you rabbit folk are big on bug burgers."

"No Ma'... Marie-Ann. Thank you."

The urge to jump up and wrap her arms around the old fox was almost unbearable. They said their goodbyes and Marie-Ann shut the door. With her back to the door Judy let out a very contented sigh. It was such a relief to her that not only did she find his mother but also seemed to really connect with her.

Her smiling stupor was broken by the sound of a loud crunching. She turned and sat Natalie also standing on the porch, her hand in a bag of crispy crickets.

"A cop huh?" she tossed a few more of the barbecue flavored bugs into her mouth and munched them, "Think you could make a couple tickets of mine go away?"

"Judy!" Marie-Ann called from behind the door, "If she's bothering you, just go ahead and bite her. At the very least she'd be deserving of it."

Natalie just rolled her eyes.

"Well, it was nice to meet you Natalie."

Nick's little sister leaned towards her and sniffed, "You smell like him."

Her blood went cold. This was not the way she wanted them to find out. She wanted Nick at her side and preferably him doing the telling.

"Well… uh… we are partners. So we spend a lot of time with each other. I'm sure he probably smells like me too."

"Yeah, sure." Natalie just stared her down. Where Nick's half lidded stare could be described as aloof, sarcastic, or even charmingly handsome, Natalie's was sardonic bordering on cold calculated murder. Like she was looking past Judy to where she was going bury what was left of the body.

"It's getting late and I got to get to train station."

"You walked here?"

"Yeah, is something the matter?"

Natalie just rolled her eyes again and shook her head, "Come with me, I'll give you a ride."

She turned to the house and yelled "Ma' I'll be right back!"

"Keep your voice down! You'll wake…"

There was the cry of a young fox from further inside the house.

"...Dagnabit. Just you hurry up!"

Natalie walked to the far side of the porch and lept over the railing. Judy heard keys jingling and door slam. It took a couple of tries but eventually the engine turned over with a sputtering cough. A small, beat up, two-seater back out of the side drive. Natalie had the windows rolled down.

"Door's busted, hop through the window Fluff."

She walked in front of the car, noticing the only two lights not broken were the drive side headlight and the passenger fog light. She hopped in and looked for the seat belt.

"Where's…"

"Broken. Just hold on."


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

It was the worst ride she's ever been on, and the remembered the night howler lab train car. Second worst ride. The car had little to no shocks, so every dip and bump tried to send her flying around her seat. And as for the seat itself, she's seen planks of wood with more substantial cushioning. And it smelled of grease, gas, and alcohol.

"Look, I know you're a tough cookie. Ma don't watch the news, but I do. So I saw the nighthowler thing. But this neighborhood isn't the greatest at night. And super cop or not, you're still a bunny in a den of foxes."

"Thanks, Natalie." Even though she was sure she could walk her way back, she didn't mind the help.

"Whatever."

They came to a red light and Judy was nearly tossed into the windshield as Natalie slammed on the breaks, which screeched a bit too close to how the train car lab sounded as it ran off the tracks. The car idled like a seizure patient.

"Look, won't be telling ma or anything, but how long have you been with my brother?" Judy's ears dropped and she held out a finger ready to respond, "And don't give me that 'co-worker' malarkey. Mom's sniffer might be having more off days than not lately, but I can tell clear as day, cottontail."

Natalie gave Judy a toothy grin, while she saw a familial glint in it, there was a lot more fangs to hers.

"Two years, we moved in together a year ago."

The smile faded to a thoughtful pout, "Then, girl to girl, you ought to know foxes aren't the most monogamous mammals. From my experience, I'd say you're at the tail end of the relationship."

"No… he'd never…", But as he car sputtered towards the train station she thought about how he's been spending more time away from her. It didn't seem like anything then. But scrutinizing it now, it did seem a little off. Normally he'd go pal around with Finnick once every couple of weeks. Once she asked what they did and he just shrugged and said "Sports, cards, and bad food. Guy stuff." Lately though, it's become more of a weekly thing. And then she remembered that he had two Finnick days this week. The fact he was with him today was why she was able to come down here and see his mother.

"Sorry Fluff, didn't mean to shatter your heart. But foxes are foxes. Some days, it makes me wish I was a wolf."

The car came to sudden halt, tossing the mentally distracted Judy into the glove compartment.

"Here's your stop."

Shaking her head, Judy got up and slowly made her way out of the car window. The manners she was raised with forced her to mutter another thanks for the ride.

"Oh, one more thing rabbit. If, for whatever insane reason, you decide to come back. Put some perfume on if you don't want ma' finding out about you and Nick."

She gave her a nod and turned towards the train station. Natalie's car backfired like a shotgun blast and shot off into the night. It was several minutes before the next train showed up, she pulled out her phone and read the rest of the texts from Nick.

Twenty minutes after the first there was a carrot emoji with more question marks.

Pizza slice emoji, followed a few minutes later.

After fifteen more minutes he wrote, "Respond or it'll just be Carnivore's Delight for dinner"

Forty minutes after came a pizza emoji with "Soooo good without rabbit food toppings"

Thirty minutes after that, a sad face next to a carrot

Ten minutes ago he sent "U ok?"

And as the train pulled into the station a new message popped up, "Judy?"

Natalie had to be wrong. Not all foxes were cheats. She got Nick on the up and up now. He's a cop. He's a good mammal. They're partners, they trust each other with their lives. Natalie hasn't even seen her brother in years, Judy falls asleep every night with his arms wrapped around her. What would she really know about him anyway?

Getting on the train, she responded to Nick with a heart emoji and "lost track of time sorry"

"I lied" he response back. Judy's hand shook, frightened of what was to come next.

"Half rabbit food pizza in the fridge for you"

Her shoulders fell as the anxiety wafted away.

She wrote out "You're too good to me" but reconsidered it and just send "Thanks" instead.

Later as she drifted off to sleep, she hoped Natalie's words would wash away in the night. But every time Nick headed over to Finnick's after work or spent his day off with his little buddy, she couldn't help but have them run through her head.

Eventually she made time to contact Marie-Ann again, this time over the phone. The conversation was short but pleasant, and a date was picked that worked for the both of them. That morning, after getting dressed, Judy found her phone absent from her night stand. Instead it was sitting out in the living room, next to the laptop they shared. Her little heart started to beat a little faster than usual. She had Marie-Ann's number listed as "bystander 12" in the event of Nick peeking at her contact list. So she should not have felt as nervous as she did.

As she walked into the living room Nick got up from the couch and picked her up into big hug, "Morning Carrots!"

"Okay, that's a bit tight there big guy." Judy exaggeratedly wheezed out so he set her down.

"Sorry, I think I've been missing my off-duty fill of Judy Hopps and over compensated. Can you blame me?"

"Well on-duty Judy needs to have her ribs not broken, you big lug."

The both laughed, and Judy temporarily forgot his sister's word.

"Did you take my phone?"

He hummed affirmatively, "I put a little present on there for you."

Judy's eyes went wide in horror, "You didn't put a picture of your…"

"Lord no. That's so trashy."

"Thank God."

"I mean with the paltry definition from a phone's camera, it would be a waste. If I wanted to give you something like that, I'd hire a painter. Get a nice, respectable portrait we could hang on the wall. I could stand like this-" He set one foot up on the coffee table, one fist resting on his hip with the other pointed out like a General giving an order, "What do you think Carrots? Classy or what?"

She had a flash of what that paint would look like in her mind and had to uselessly cover her eyes, "Nicholas Wilde, sometime you are just too much."

"You know you love that about me," He got out of the pose and adjusted his tie, "So what say we head out on the town. Feels like we haven't done that in awhile."

"Actually, I can't. I have…" She realized she didn't have a cover, she figured he'd be off with Finnick again, "I'm having a girl's day out with Fru-fru. Shopping, going to the spa, and all that super girly stuff."

"And you need to wear perfume for that?"

She could feel her skin get clammy under her fur. She's never lied to Nick so blatantly before. At least not after catching Bellwether.

"I may be a cop, but I'm still a lady. And sometimes a lady wants to smell good."

Nick's eye scanned over her and not in the fun way he usually does. It was closer to him looking over a suspect.

"Alright, just don't go spending too much money. No need to play 'keeping up with the mob boss' daughter'."

"Nick I'd never…"

He held up a paw, "I know, I know. I just felt that it was my turn to talk about being financially responsible. How many speeches of yours did I sit through after you found out I was playing cards with Finnick?"

Looking into his emerald eye, she saw him enjoying the turn about. And he was right. The night he came back literally without his shirt she screamed at him and he just took it, knowing full well he was in the wrong.

"Fine, Mr. Penny-pincher."

"Good," He leaned in and gave a more gentle hug, "Then you go have fun with the girls. But do me a favor, would you? The gift on your phone, it's very personal. So please don't go showing it off, okay? It's only meant for you."

It would have been easy to make another accusation about unsolicited anatomical photos, but Nick was having one of his rare moments of seriousness. So she gave him a peck on the cheek.

"Sure thing."

And with that she was out the door. Nick sighed and watched the closed door for a few minutes, in futile hope that she would come back. Eventually he sat back down on the couch, pulling out his phone. This wasn't the way he expected the day to be going. Finnick texted him as he was going through one of the social media apps.

"How'd it go Red?"

"It didn't" he said out loud as he typed, "She's having a girls day out"

"HA! U snooze u looze Wilde!"

But another text alert popped up. One with the custom ringtone of a double ring of a big ominous funeral bell. The alert he hoped he'd never hear. Hesitantly he tapped over to it. The fear vanished from his face as he read, replaced by the confused furrowing of his brow. He read it again. And again. And then looked up at the closed door.

By the time Nick ran out the door, Judy's train already left the station heading towards the Meadowlands.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **And that's chapter two. Hope you all are enjoying it!**

 **Why is Nick hanging with Finnick so often? Or is that just a front for something worse? Who would Nick have in his contact list with a funeral bell as a ringtone and why did it cause him to run out the door? Why does Finnick spell so terribly when he texts? What exactly is on a Zoopotian Carnivore's Delight pizza?**

 **Some of these questions will be answered by the end. Some of them not.**

 **Well okay, I don't answer the one about Finnick's spelling. It's not really important to this story. Or any story really. He's just a lazy texter. MYSTERY SOLVED!**


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

The neighborhood didn't seem as intimidating as before and was a lot easier to walk through. No worry or doubt slowing down her thought. Other than Natalie's words and Nick's more frequent boys' nights out.

"Well if it ain't Officer Fluff-butt!"

Well, speak of the devil, Judy thought as she waved to Natalie, "Hey."

"Surprised you came back. And hey, you wore perfume. Looks like those ears are good for something other than getting TV reception."

A very snappy comeback was ready to be fired off when a wet wash cloth flew out of the front window and slapped over Natalie's face.

"Keep that mouth running and the next heading towards it won't be so forgiving. Judy, dear, just come on in. I'm almost done."

Walking in she head back towards the kitchen where Marie-Ann was finishing up washing some dishes. The room was full of the smell of baking.

"Oh that smells wonderful, what is it?"

"Blueberry muffins. Should be done in a few minutes. So go ahead and sit down, I'll get you a water."

She took a seat at the small kitchen table.

"So I guess it's my turn? Anything you want to know in particular, darling?"

That was something Judy had thought about for some time, the answer was easy enough, "His father?"

Marie-Ann deflated a little, "I was hoping you'd start on something a bit easier, but you do cut right to the quick, don't you?" She pulled the hot muffins out of the oven and set them on stove to cool and sat down across from Judy.

"Thomas. His name was Thomas Wilde. He was born and raised here in Zootopia. My family didn't move here until I was fourteen. Never met a kinder soul than his. Nor a worse sense of humor for that matter."

"The humor must be genetic then."

They shared a nice laugh, "We were married almost five years before we had Nick. Thomas was so proud. Having a son really lit a flame under him. He worked at one of the fish packing plants in Tundra Town at the time. But vowed that his family deserved better. Had this idea of opening a clothing store. It never got off the ground though. The plant closed down when Nick was about ten, a year or so after Nat was born. Thomas just went ten-fold with his idea. But I could see each rejection was hitting him harder and harder. I tried what I could to help him. I didn't want to tell him to drop his dream but we were starting to hurt at home."

Her blue eyes wavered, Judy reached out and gripped her paw.

"No, no. I'll be okay." She pulled out a handkerchief, "A few years later, Nick was twelve or thirteen, he had a deal drawn up for a loan with a bank in Savannah Square. Did the whole thing over the phone. But when he got there, they withdrew it. Said they didn't know they were dealing with a fox."

Judy's blood was boiling, Marie-Ann could see it, "It's gotten better over time but the world's always been like that for us foxes."

"It shouldn't be," she meant to say it comfortingly but it came out more like a growl.

"Bless you, dear. World needs more mammals like you in it," She squeezed the handkerchief tight, "He was devastated beyond anything I've ever seen. Those brutes smashed my Thomas' dreams, I could tell. I just didn't know how bad it was. He'd… he'd go on walks at night to clear his mind. There were time he wouldn't be back until breakfast. But when I heard someone at the door the next morning, it wasn't him."

The elderly vixen blotted her eyes with the white cloth, "It was a pair of officers. They said he made his way up to the canopy level, walked onto one of the vine bridges… and…"

Having fallen off one of those, albeit while being chased by a nighthowler fueled panther, Judy had a pretty good idea what happened. She lept over the table and wrapped her arms around the vixen, her own tears falling down her face, "I'm sorry. So sorry."

Marie-Ann hugged Judy back, and together they softly cried. After they dried their eyes, Marie-Ann got up and grabbed them some muffins. Judy offered to do but she was a guest.

"I ain't broken yet, so just you keep your fluffy little tail in that seat, darling."

Judy took a bite of the still warm muffin. It was a little slice of heaven.

"I haven't had muffins this good since I left home."

"And where exactly would that be?"

"Bunnyburrow. My family runs a farm, mostly carrots."

"Then you're just breaking the mold, aren't you? Good for you. Hope your parents are fine with your career choice."

"Yeah, took them a bit to get used to it," she chuckled, "Dad nearly had a panic attack when I told him my partner was a fox." Leaving out the fact that he did faint when they came out as a couple to her folks as a couple a year later. Her mother on the other hand saw that coming miles away. Mother's intuition and all that.

"Oh dear what about me? You come up here and show me my Nicholas is a cop. I thought I was having a fever dream."

"So," she nibbled on the muffin a bit, tasting the hint of cinnamon, "What happened after…"

"After Thomas passed," she nodded, "We got by. Most people think foxes are totally solitary mammals, and for the majority of the time it's true. But when it counts, we're there for each other. Different neighbors and family members looked after Nick and Nat while I worked. Mostly dish washing in restaurants. Not the most glorifying work but it paid the bills, most of the time. It was around then, Nick started down his dark path. You know about his run in with those nasty scouts, but his father's death really changed him. I never once had any issues with him at school. But after that he was in trouble left and right. To his credit he never outright failed a class but his grades plummeted, barely making it out of each year. And there was the money…"

She clutched at her chest at the memories, "I didn't think much of it at first. He was helping, why question it, right? But I have to say, the popsicle scam you caught him on was nothing to what he was doing when he was younger. Soon enough, people started to gossip about the kind of crowd he was working with. So then I began to question him. And every time we always ended up fighting. I grounded him, I emptied his room to just a bed, at the time I did just about everything but smack him around. But what seemed to really get the point across to him, was that I wouldn't take his money anymore. He looked at me like I just told him I wouldn't breath air anymore. Our fights only got worse after that. Then, when he was sixteen…." 

* * *

"And where in the world do you think you're going young fox?" Marie-Ann was sitting in her chair, turned towards the front door.

"Anywhere but here." the young Nicholas Wilde said with a snarl. He was wearing a long black jacket that she knew cost more than a month of bill payments and carried two overly stuffed duffel bags.

"Nick…"

"Save it. I'm sick of hearing your pleading and begging me to stay. It's pathetic."

"No, I'm done pleading and begging. I'm warning you. You walk out that door now, you better not ever come back."

"Like I'd ever have a reason to come back to this dump." He adjusted the back strapped over his shoulder and yanked the door open.

"It's a blessing your father never lived to see you like this. Appalled and disappointed his little one is nothing more than another low life thug."

He tossed his bags out the door and turned back to her, "And why would I care what that idiot ever thought of me? He was a clueless sap who couldn't handle the truth that a fox can only be a fox, I'm glad he's dead!"

In a blink she closed the gap between them and slapped him across the face, "Get the hell out of my house. You're no son of mine."

Without a word, he walked out the door, slamming it as hard as he could while she stood shaking with fury, tears streaming down her cheeks. 

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

 **And we're half way done, if I don't write an epilogue.**

 **So we got to see Nick as an angsty teen, that was... interesting.**

 **I was kind of flip flopping on Thomas working at a fish packing plant or a bug packing, since bugs are totally canonical while fish are more of maybe. I figure fish are fair game.**

 **And someone on reddit pointed out that foxes actually are rather monogamous. But in my quick little bit of internet sleuthing I found a place saying " Red foxes, meanwhile, might or might not be monogamous: Male red foxes, or dog foxes, might mate with several females, or vixens."**

 **And of course, for the sake of drama one can just kindly ignore most scientific accuracy. Besides, Natalie might just being saying that because of her own experiences more than anything else. Or maybe not.**

 **Stay tuned and find out!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"And that was the last I saw of him."

Judy couldn't imagine Nick, her Nick, being so cruel. It physically hurt the little rabbit to hear that story. But that was years ago. He's changed. He's changed a lot. And she had a lot to do with that.

"At least until you came knocking on my door. Now…" Marie-Ann turned and stared off into space. But not just any space, Judy eventually noticed. The wallpaper in the kitchen was in need of replacement. It was starting to peel, and faded yellow through time and ware. But there was a less faded square next to one of the windows.

"You got rid of all his photos?"

"In a trunk. In the attic. Even with what you say, I'm still not sure I want to put them back up. We both know him from two different times. He might still feel the same about his family now as he did then."

She wanted to object. She wanted to just say that there's no way that the funny, sometime annoying, but lovable fox she knew could be as mean and cold as the kid Marie-Ann told her about. But the fact of the matter was she didn't know. His family was a total void to her until she went looking herself. For all she knew, Marie-Ann was right and Nick wanted nothing to do with them still. And a terrible thought occurred to her. He might be horrifically furious at her for even looking them up, let alone, talk to them. The phrase "ignorance is bliss" drifted through her head with all its connotations.

"What about you though? If he had a change of heart, would you...accept him back?"

The old vixen shrugged with a sigh, "I.. I don't know. The boy cut deep that day. We foxes can be more stubborn than an ox at times. So a part of me doesn't even want to think about him. But.." she grunted a bit as she got out of the chair, "Everyday since you came by, you've been feeding a voice in me that's been awfully quiet these past many years, Hope. Now if you don't mind, I got to get the laundry off the line. You just stay here. Have another muffin."

"Are you sure you don't want some help?"

She just waved the little bunny back to her seat and headed towards the back yard where the clothesline stood. Judy took her advice and grabbed another muffin. She pulled out her phone, seeing a message from Nick.

"Having fun with the girls?"

Her heart skipped a beat before realizing that he probably meant the lied she said about being out with Fru Fru.

"Yeah. Laughing. Crying. Talking about the boys in our lives."

At least her response wasn't a lie. Mostly.

She was about to check her Furbook app, when she remembered the "gift" Nick put on her phone. Checking the downloads folder, she found a file titled "For Carrots" and tapped it.

Her phone switched to video mode and started playing. It started out as a blurry close up of Nick's face. The camera shifted a bit and he leaned back, nodding his approval at the camera's position. He moved out of frame momentarily. Where ever he was, it wasn't their appartment. Maybe it was Finnick's place. She's dropped him off there a few times but she's never been inside.

Nick came back and took a seat on the stool that was in mid frame. He leaned down and picked up a guitar and strummed it, all in tune. She never knew he could play the guitar. He certainly didn't own one.

"This is for you, my sly, little, rabbit."

The little diddy he played was light and airy.

" _Love_ " he began to sing, which caused Judy to put her free paw to her mouth. She's only heard him sing terribly to the Top 40 stations in the cruiser. And this was anything but terrible. His voice was smooth, a perfect crooner.

" _Love, it seems like only yesterday. You were just a child at play…_ "

"What is that?" Natalie sounded more accusatory than curious and grabbed Judy's phone before she could respond.

"Give that back!"

Natalie's eyes grew int saucers as Nick went on.

" _Once we watched a lazy world go by, now the days seem to fly…_ "

Her mouth hung open in shock, eventually find her voice to howl out for her mother as she ran outside with Judy's phone. A bit shocked herself, Judy just stood in the kitchen a little confused as to why Nick singing caused such a reaction. It did cause a reaction to her, but she'd argue that she's closer to Nick then they are. But where Judy's shock was pleasant Natalie's almost seemed scared.

She looked out the window and saw Natalie showing the video to her mother. She dropped the clothes basket, spilling the bundle of shirts onto the grass, and put a paw to her mouth like Judy did. Natalie kept motioning between the phone and the house. To her. Marie-Ann took the phone and started making her way back inside, the cloths forgotten on the grass.

Judy only made out the last bit of their conversation as they came in.

"But how could he do that! I mean he… and she's just a…."

"Muzzle it, girl. What's done is done."

Marie-Ann walked into the kitchen looking more than a little flustered. Natalie glared at Judy before storming upstairs to her room.

"What's wrong, Marie-Ann? Did I… did Nick do something in that video?"

She smiled a little, "Indeed he did, little one. But nothing to fear about."

"Natalie seemed upset about it."

"A little, yes," She saw Judy open her mouth to question further, "That song is an _old_ family tradition. Very special, but also very… personal."

"What do you mean exactly?"

Marie-Ann just laughed, "I'm not the one to be telling you that, if you can't figure it out yourself."

She handed Judy the phone back.

" _Love will live, love will last, Love goes on and on and on_ ", Nick crooned via her phone, giving the guitar a final strum, "Love ya Carrots."

His smile at the end was a true smile, no cockiness or swagger like most every other time. He reached over past the frame and the video stopped.

Judy was about to hit repeat when a text notification popped up. It was from Nick.

"Carrots, please tell me Clawhauser pinged the wrong phone and that you're not in the Meadowlands right now."

"Oh crispy crap crackers." Judy said without knowing it.

"Something wrong?"

"Nick knows I'm here. Or at least…" there was another text, a photo of the street corner, "Nope. He knows. He's down the block."

"He is?" Marie-Ann's eyes were almost as wide as Natalie's when she saw the video.

The beeped again and they looked at her phone, "Please come out."

"Oh no way. You are _not_ going to be doing that." Marie-Ann turned and stormed out of the kitchen towards the front door.

"Marie-Ann, wait!"

The old fox tore the door open, took a deep breath, and yelled,, "If some fool of a fox wants to talk to my guest, he's gonna have to suck it up and come to her!"

She slammed the door shut.

Natalie came tearing down from her room, "What is the heck is going on?"

"Shhhh!" Marie-Ann waved Natalie into silence.

There was a soft creak from the porch stairs outside followed by a light knock on the door.

"Carrots?"

She was expecting him to be mad. Furious with anger, like his mother was at the moment. But if anything, he sounded scared.

She opened the door and saw her boy for the first time in over fifteen years. He was wearing one of his floral pattern shirts that Judy always teased him about how tacky they looked, while still thinking they made him look charmingly handsome. Nick was looking downward, expecting Judy, when he corrected his line of sight he nearly jumped back. He jaw tensed up, and his paw balled up into a fist at his side.

He looked away and turned around, "Nevermind…"

Marie-Ann closed her eyes and took a deep breath of her own. Her upright tense shoulders lowered as she exhaled.

"Wait", she called back to him.

Nick stopped but didn't turn around.

"There's much that needs to be talked about. Between you and her. And between us. And a phone isn't the proper way to do it", she opened the door and stepped out of the way.

Nick turned back and stared wearily at the door frame. He looked at his mother and sister, quickly spying Judy standing by his mother's chair. He stepped into the house the same manner someone would step into a minefield.

"Carrots I…"

"No, we got some words between us before you get to your rabbit."

Both had their ears flattened out from their heads, Judy could tell Nick was one slight move from actually baring his teeth which were clamped tightly by his lips.

"I assume you remember that night." she started.

"Yeah, I think I still have the paw mark on my face."

Nick's tail twitched in the silence between them.

He huffed and began angrily, "What? What do you want me to say? About how great it was having nothing holding me back? How I could spend the entire day just.."

Nick scrunched up his face, almost like he was in pain as he pushed his anger back. That anger was what caused the tear between them all those years ago. He knew the damage it could do. He didn't want to do that again, especially in front of Judy.

"No. How about…." his voice hitched a little bit as his emotions swung over to sadness like a pendulum, filling the gap that the missing anger left, "How about how all the nights I slept in darkened alleys telling myself that it's just the rain running down my face? Or how..."

He put his paws, bent more like claws, to his face and growled. Sympathy wasn't what he wanted. Reliving all the terrible moments of his life again reeked of pity seeking to him. Judy knew about some of them but a few were still a bit too raw for him to this day.

Looking to his right he saw Judy, standing in silence. Her nose in a constant state to twitching, which she does when she's nervous or excited. And in an instant the emotions bubbling in him simmered down. Turning the other direction he saw the photo on the wall between him and his mom. It was Thomas and Marie-Ann, young and happy.

"There was one night that dad came and talked with me. Told me that life isn't easy," He let out a weak honest laugh, "Bit of an understatement there, old man. And that how we handle those rough patches shape who we are. Who we become. For good or bad. And that night was one of those moments for me."

He rested his arm on the mantle below the picture, staring at his father, "And where I am now is because of that night. If I didn't leave, if I stayed and tried to be the son you wanted, and more than likely hating it, I never would have done the things I done. Met the mammals I know. The one that... I wouldn't have become who I am today. So I can't regret those actions."

Looking down from the photo, he took a hard swallow, his voice sounding uneasy, "But what I… what was said that night was from an idiot child. One I'm not sure you hit hard enough. A child which I would scream at if he were in front of me now."

Turning back he was about to say something more but Marie-Ann pulled him into a tight hug before he could say anything. A bit shocked, he slowly put his arms around her sobbing body. Soon enough he was doing the same.

It took a lot of willpower for Judy not to join them, but she did wipe away a few tears of her own.

They separated momentarily, but she leaned in and kissed his cheek, "We have a lot of catching up to do, Nicky. But I think you came here to talk to someone else."

Nick nodded, "Thanks."

As she shooed Natalie into the kitchen with her, she turned back with a smirk that Judy was very familiar with, "Oh and Nick? You sing just like your father."

Even with his red fur, Judy could see him blush.

"Ma… I… I can explain…"

Marie-Ann chuckled, "Silly boy, I'm not the one you need to explain to," and she shut the door behind her. 

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

 **Family reunion! I can't get too heart wrenching, like some fics (even if I love it at times). What can I say, I'm just a big softy at heart.**

 **So next chapter we get to what's going on between Nick and Judy! How mad will Nick be that she went behind his back to look up his family? Will Nick divulge what he's been doing when he "hangs with Finn"? What is so important about that song? Does Nick have anything to wear other than Hawaiian shirts? Are you reading these question in the voice of the announcer of the Adam West Batman show? I know I am!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

They were alone now, relatively speaking.

Nick looked around the room. Taking it in. Seeing what changed in his absence and what was still the same. His eyes eventually landed on the little rabbit standing in the middle of the room, her nose twitching in anticipation.

"I wanted to yell at you. I still kind of do. But..." he blinked a few times and shook his head, "Well that", he jerked his thumb towards the kitchen and the two inside it,"wasn't something I was expecting to happen. Ever. Which really took the wind out of those sails."

He walked past her in a kind of a daze and sat down on the couch, putting his head in his paws.

"So, how did you know I was here?" Her voice was barely a squeak.

Nick's shoulders jerked with a single laugh, "Fru dropped her phone in the bath while trying to take a picture of little Judy. Used her dad's to text me to get your number again. I ran to the station and asked Clawhauser to ping your phone's location."

This was just another reminder to Judy why she's so bad at lying. Too many uncontrollable variables.

He looked back up at her, "Why are you here, anyway?"

"You never talked about them."

"Until two minutes ago, I never thought they'd be a part of my life again. So what did it matter?"

"Because, I didn't want the first time meeting them to be me telling them something happened to you in the line of duty."

Nick shivered at that realization. She was right. _Oh hello Mrs Wilde. I'm Nick's partner at the police precinct. I'm here to tell you he died in the line of duty. It's not my fault but I know you'll blame me for it_. Not a fun image to float around his head.

His head bobbed in reluctant acceptance, "Point very well taken, Carrots. But just so you know I will be a little grumpy at the fact you went behind my back and did this, regardless of how it played out. No more than a week though."

The little joke did not land like he thought. Instead of a laugh or a smirk from the bunny, she continued to scowl at him.

"You want to talk about going behind backs?" Judy's voice raised up, "What about you?"

Confusion fell on his face, "What do you mean?"

"What exactly have you and Finn been doing?"

His eyes widened, fearing she somehow found out, but quickly furrowed in suspicion, knowing that would be highly improbable. But she now knew that there was something more than "hanging with Finn". He could lie like the best of them, but Judy knew how to crack him open.

"What exactly are you accusing me of, Carrots?"

Her nose was still twitching a mile a minute, much like her heart, and now her bottom lip quivered.  
 _  
_… _..girl to girl, you ought to know foxes aren't the most monogamous mammals…._

… _.I'd say you're at the tail end of the relationship…_

Swallowing down a sob Judy looked away from Nick, "Natalie said that foxes aren't the most monogamous mammals."

There was a whine from the kitchen, "No, Judy I…"

"Hush now! Let them deal with their problems." They heard Marie-Ann scold her daughter for trying to interrupt them.

An invisible boulder seemed to have landed on Nick, knocking the wind out of him as he sunk into the couch. His mind raced as he realized, looking at it from a different perspective, why she might think that. And it did look very bad for him.

"What were you doing?" She was tempted to add _or who_ , but that would hurt herself too much. Make the idea too concrete and she already felt the tears welling up.

There was a sharp pain in Nick's chest as he looked at Judy standing before him trembling in a saddened fury. And the more he looked at his absences with the mindframe of being accused of _that_ , the more the pain twisted in deeper.

"Not that," he shook his head, "Lord no, Carrots."

"Then tell me." she said through gritted teeth.

He looked into her eyes, slightly puffy from crying and on the verge of doing so again.

"I needed to buy something and an officer's pay wouldn't cover it quick enough. So I helped Finn out on a few…"

"You were hustling again?" She shouted.

From the kitchen Natalie could be heard, "Lord that bunny's loud."

"Sweet cheese and crackers Nick! You told me you were done with that life. If you were caught you could have lost your job."

"Hey, hey!" He raised his paws up defensively, "Everything we did was technically legal. No laws were broken whatsoever. That was one of my stipulations with Finnick."

Her foot tapped the floor a flurry as she crossed her arms, "And what exactly was it that you need all that extra cash for anyway? Must be something pretty pricy. Spill it, fox."

With a defeated laugh he fell back against the couch, his head resting on the wall behind it, and said more to himself, "This was not how today was supposed to go. Not even. A. Bit! I had it all planned out. I had it so planned out, it wouldn't have looked planned out," another chuckle at a sudden realization, "It would have been my ultimate hustle."

Judy raised an accusatory eyebrow at him.

Leaning forward he looked Judy in her lovely, but currently angry looking, lavender eyes, "Carrots, you know you're the best thing that has ever happened to me right?"

"I think you might have said that once or twice."

It was way more than that. They both knew it.

"You trusted me when no one else did. You proved to me that a fox could be more than a fox, and pushed me to be more than that. Without you, I'd still be out on the streets." he raised his arms to the room around them, "And you just don't stop. You repaired a bridge I thought I burnt down ages ago."

She wasn't in a mood to be buttered up. But the honest in his voice alone, was causing her anger to slowly evaporate.

"Come on Nick, quit stalling."

His sly grin flashed briefly on his face as he looked deep into her eyes, "You've done so much for me, that I don't think it is possible for me to properly thank you. Even if we were stuck with each other for the rest of our lives, I'd still be indebted to you. But if you're willing…."

He slid off the couch onto one knee in front of her, as he fished something out of his pocket.

"I'll try my best."

The little box in his hand opened to reveal a glimmering ring inside. A gold band with a heart shaped diamond at the center and two gemstones, one bright green and the other lavender, on either side of it.

He recited this simple line for hours. It was astound how hard six words could be. Out of the hundreds or thousands of times he rehearsed, Nick has only been able to say it a handful of times without fumbling or choking up. But this time, he knew, he was not going choke. It was going to be perfect.

"Judy Hopps, will you…"

He was slammed into the couch by a gray blur of an overly emotional bunny. She shed tears, shared kisses, and gave more than a few swift punches to the fox. Lovingly, he accepted them all.

Getting a temporary reprieve from her mostly amorous assault, he looked down at the happily crying bunny, "So that's a yes?"

He punched him in the arm again, "You went hustling with Finn just to get me a ring?"

"There was the ring," He began count on his paw, "Pre-paid reservations at L' Endroit Cher downtown for tonight...".

"Tonight?! Oh Nick, that's too much!"

But he kept going, "Paid the band to play your favorite songs exclusively while we're there, rented out a limo, and paid off a few people to refurbish and hold a specific gonadal on the sky tram in the Rainforest District."

With a sniffle, she hugged her fox. She thought back to this morning with his overly tight hug and his wanting to go out on the town. He had it all planned. All planned for today, a day which was almost over. As happy as she was, she couldn't help but have her heart drop a bit at her unintentional cruelty.

"And I messed it all up. I am such a dumb bunny."

Putting a paw under her chin, he lifted her face towards his smile, "You're not a dumb bunny. You became a cop. Saved the city. Saved me. Saved my relationship with my family. You're an amazing bunny who succeeds at anything and everything she puts her mind to, no matter the odds. If you were to tell me that you've decided to be the first bunny to hop to the moon, I wouldn't doubt you for a second."

He leaned into her with a tender kiss.

"Forget the moon, what about rustling up some more grandkits for me?" 

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

 **Thanks to UmbraTsuki (Go check out their stuff at AO3! It's good!) for doing a bit of a beta read for me on this and the next chapter. Might even go back and do some touching up on the whole thing. Maybe.**

 **Ah poor Nick, Judy can't let you do anything right can she? Not even finishing asking a very important question.**

 **And I hope google translate didn't screw up the little french joke I tossed in there.**

 **So the next chapter is the last, and rather short.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

For the first time in a long time, the Wilde household was completely filled with good spirits. Instead of fancy cuisine, there were homemade blueberry muffins. Instead of Judy's favorite songs played by live band, there were embarrassing tales of little Nicky Wilde told by his mother. And a tease of baby photos that were even more embarrassing the next time Judy visits.

But he still had the limo. When they were ready, Nick called to reschedule the pickup location. Nick and Natalie were catching up, Nick holding his niece who was making those almost words toddlers make. Judy watched his face glow as he played with his newest family member.

"You know Marie-Ann..."

"Honey, just call me mom. You're family now."

She leaned into a little hug with her, "He's always been good with kids. Most my little siblings love him when we stop by. And maybe it's this new little weight," she played with the ring now on her finger, "But I just realized how good of a father he'd make. So maybe you'll get what you want sooner than later."

"At least wait until after the wedding, honey. No need to have a babybump in a wedding dress."

Headlights rolled up to the house and stopped. Nick handed Marian back to Natalie, giving both of them a peck on the cheek.

"Ride's here Carrots."

They said their goodbyes with promises to return soon and headed out the door. Standing at the open car door was a familiar face.

"Mr Manchas! It's great to see you again."

"And not trying to kill us." Nick added before getting a hard elbow in the gut.

The jaguar chuckled, "Just don't tear up the seats back there and I won't try again."

Sitting together in the middle of the seat, they held each other as Manchas drove them home.

"Nick, I've been meaning to ask about that song."

The fox's grin widened, "Oh, that old thing."

"When Natalie heard it she flipped out and your mom said it was special family tradition."

"Yes. An old one at that. Ancient even. Legend has it, it was a love song written by Sir Robin of Locksley to his beloved Maid Marian as an engagement present. And that he passed it down to his kin who passed down to theirs. Generation to generation, fox to fox. But not as just a simple love song, but a true love song."

"What do you mean true love song?"

"It's why Nat freaked out. She got more than a little jealous at you. A fox can't just sing it to the gal he wants to really impress and take to prom. Or one he thinks he loves but ends up leaving a few years later. This song is an oath, a promise. Something as unbreakable as the love they share."

Checking the window to Manchas was closed, he cleared his throat and repositioned himself.

" _Love will live, love will last, love will go on and on and on_ " he crooned to his bride-to-be. She did her best not to swoon, but also did not care she was failing.

"That part is self explanatory, casanova."

" _Life is brief, but when it's gone, love goes on and on_ … Means not even death will 'do us part'. We're stuck with each other, Carrots. Forever."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

 **And that's that! I do have an epilogue brewing but I'm going to make it a separate entry. I like where this ends, and the epilogue might be a bit much here.**

 **And yes, in my mind Disney's Robin Hood (or a close facsimile of it) and Zootopia share the same world.**

 **Well I hope all of you enjoyed this little story of mine. Honestly is the first bit of writing I've actually finished in quite some time. I hope I can keep that trend going! So thanks for reading, commenting, and all that jazz!**

 **And hopefully I'll be back sooner than later with another work!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"Aw come on! You gotta to go with Hopps-Wilde." Natalie joyfully jeered Judy. "I mean it totally fits, doesn't it? Judy _Hopps_ -Wilde." She wiggled her eyebrows at the innuendo.

Judy couldn't help but smirk as she rolled her eyes, glad Nick wasn't as bawdy as his sister.

"That's one of the reasons _why_ we're going with Wilde-Hopps." Little Marian giggled in the bunny's arms.

It had been some months since Judy's tenacity brought the Wilde family back together, every visit since seemed to only bring more joy for them all. They had begun in earnest to plan for the wedding, but today they had taken a break from looking at caterers and banquet halls. They just wanted to enjoy some family time.

While Natalie joked with Judy as she played with Marian, Nick was in the kitchen with his mother. He wasn't much of a cook, but he could wash a mean set of dishes. As quick as she dirtied a bowl with batter or some other mixture ready to become something edible, he dashed it into the soapy waters and scrubbed them to complete cleanliness. But his efforts were not as welcome as he would have wanted.

"You don't need to be bounding around me like that Nicky. I can take care of the dishes later; Go spend some time with your fiance and sister."

"But I want to spend time with you."

Marie-Ann could feel a warm tear welling up in her eye. Nick had been trying to make up for lost time with her and she loved that he was trying. She just wished he would stop getting in the way of her cooking.

"Do you bother Judy this much when she cooks?"

"No."

"Yes he does!" Judy shouted from the living room, which was followed by the two girls' laughing.

"Only because I don't want you burning down the apartment!"

Marie-Ann chuckled. "Let me work. I can take care of the dishes later. You go enjoy the company of your family." She kissed him on the cheek and turned him toward the door.

Nick took in the contrasting sight before him. Judy, raised with the manners to always dress up for a family dinner, was wearing a sundress of vivid blues and purples. Natalie, on the other hand, had a different approach. This was just another meal in the place she lives. No need to dress up. So she wore dark shirt with some indecipherable logo of a metal band that looked more like wreckage from a plane crash than words and a pair of jeans Nick wasn't sure were pre-torn by the store or if she just put a lot of miles on them. She topped off with a black bandana tied between her ears. Nick knew his sense of fashion might not be the most glamorous, with his assortment of Pawiian shirts, but at least he didn't look like a roadie.

Slowly making his way across the room, he looked at the photos on the wall. Marie-Ann began rehanging his photos the day after he came back. He stopped at one she put on the mantle. It was one of the few photos he remembered taking with his dad. They had gone camping that weekend and little Nick was sitting next to him on a picnic table. That trip was where he first taught Nick the special song. After they ended up burning most of the marshmallows, his mom went to bed but his dad pulled out his guitar and told him the legacy of the song.

"And one day, kiddo, you're going to meet someone who's going to change your life forever. Your heart's going to skip beats, your mind is going to go a million miles a minute and be at a dead stop at the same time."

"That sounds painful pa."

He laughed that deep throaty chuckle like always. "In a way it is. But it will make you want to sing her a song. A very special song. But it's just so much more…."

Nick was never too fond of camping, but that weekend was different.

He turned to the trio of girls, still chatting away, and smiled. Bending down, he kissed Judy between the ears.

"I'm going to go for a walk. I'll be back before dinner."

"Where you going?"

"Around." He shrugged and began fanning himself like there was an offending odor. "Want to get some fresh air. Too much estrogen in here."

"Okay." She said, but with her drooping ears and wide eyes he knew she meant "Is everything alright?"

His smile widened with his partly lidded eyes adoring her, wordlessly telling her everything was alright.

Ever since they reunited, Nick never went beyond his mom's house. This was the first time he wandered around his old stomping grounds. There weren't as many changes as he would have figured. A few houses were a different color than what he remembered. Surprisingly old mammal Miller's yard was still filled with gaudy lawn ornaments. That fox had seemed older than dirt when he was a kid, so either they had the elixir of life or whatever family member inherited the place had the same love for gaudy lawn ornaments.

The most surprising thing to him was the lack of kids. On a bright sunny day like today, as a kit, he'd be bounding around the neighborhood. Playing with neighbor kids or just exploring. At least before he started hustling. But there was not a little ankle biter in sight.

He could almost see himself, as a tiny fox, running through the yards he was currently walking past. Getting to the end of the block he thought of turning back or maybe just going one more block up. But the phantom of little Nick took a left, through the bushes Ms Reynard loved more than her own children. Obviously the new owners were a tad more apathetic towards the shrubs. Nick followed his phantom, not through the bushes though. He was a bit too big for that.

Zigzagging across the streets, Nick followed his little imaginary self. The young apparition laughed and chortled, the older, realer one chuckled and chuffed. Nick had no idea where little Nick was going but it sure wasn't a straight line. It reminded him of one of the comics in the newspaper. The one where the young son would wander around with a little dashed line showing the reader what kind of ridiculous route the boy had taken.

But then he stopped. Nick stared at his imaginary self confused. He stopped in front of a valley or park, he could see rolling hills of green in his peripheral. His little self turned and looked at him. Nick felt like that wasn't something that was supposed to happen. He turned back towards the park and Nick finally looked up. He knew where he was.

Oakwood Cemetery.

When he looked back, little Nick was gone. Vanished back into his mind. Nick started walking again. Walking to the only place he knew there. He'd only been here a smattering of times as a child, but he could never forget the way. He got there quickly at just a casual pace, he marveled at how long it seemed to take as a child.

Sitting atop one of the hills that ran through the cemetery, Nick could just see the entrance he just came through. It was a simple headstone. No etchings of fox tailed angels or words of scripture. Even if they had money for it, he didn't think his father would have wanted it.

 _Thomas Loxley Wilde_

 _Loving Father and Husband_

Nick patted the stone marker, his own engagement band clicking against it. "Hey dad."

He waited for his heart to beat again. "It's been a while."

Sighing, he closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. What was he doing here? Of all the places he would amble to it had to be here. What good is talking to a slab of rock going to do?

But he could hear what his father would say to him. "It sure has, kiddo."

Looking up Nick saw a new apparition. A fox in corduroy pants and denim shirt. Just like in the photo when they went camping. His eyes were a darker shade of green than his son's but they beamed just as bright.

"Finally made up with mom." Nick choked out after gaining his composure.

Thomas' smile deepened. "About damn time. Good to see all of my family together again."

"And… uh…" he held up his hand showing off the ring. "I'm getting married."

Holding his gut Thomas let out a great guffaw. "Someone finally wrangled my little lady killer to finally settle down? So who's the poor vixen that has to deal with you for the rest of her life?"

"The… ah… vixen, is a rabbit. Judy Hopps."

"A rabbit?" His eyebrow raised teasingly. "No decent fox girls willing to capture my son's heart?"

"A few tried. But none of them… None of them bothered looking too deep into me. But Judy?" Nick smiled thinking back on their gonadal ride out of the Rainforest District all those years ago, "You told me that romancing mom was like a whirlwind. Judy was like a tornado. An unstoppable force."

"With you in dead center of her path." The illusion finished his thought.

Nick chuckled at the thought of a tornado Judy, full of fluffy optimism and bright purple eyes.

"Oo de lally, sounds like you got yourself a great gal." Nick had almost forgot that his father loved using that exclamation. Hearing it again brought up a flood of memories of him using it flashing through his mind.

"Yeah, before her I was… I wasn't a fox you'd be proud of."

"I wouldn't say that exactly. I'm proud of your wits. What you did with them might have been…" He rolled his paws around thinking of how to finish.

Nick finished it for him, "Morally ambiguous?"

His phantom father laughed, "I was going to go with _technically_ legal, but that's good too."

Even though this was just some illusion, some kind of trickery of his own mind, it felt good. But it also hurt. It was a taste of what life could have been like. What it should be like if Thomas hadn't made such a tragic decision.

"Why'd you do it dad? I know how hard dreams are but we're your family. How could you leave us like that?"

The jovial smile faded from the phantom's muzzle.

"I didn't mean to."

"What the hell does that mean?" Nick slammed his paw on the headstone.

"It means," He put his illusionary paw over Nick's, who felt a warmth that was very much real, "I didn't do it. I admit that it did crossed my mind that night, but I could never do it. And I never meant to leave you. Any of you. I made it a rule never to go higher than the third bridge but I was too distraught to realize where I was. It was wet from the morning rain and I wasn't paying attention and slipped."

Nick saw sparkling tears falling from his father's face and realized his own face was just as wetted down. Thomas stepped through his headstone and wrapped his arms around his son. Nick felt the rough denim of the shirt against his fur. The earthiness of Thomas' scent filled his nostrils. Spirituality was not one of Nick's strong suits. While some of the other low lifes he's known had some ritual or charm that would help them get good luck, Nick only needed his wits. No little chant, awkward dance, or bauble was going to make a hustle go better. And right now every bit of his wits were telling him that he was hugging his dearly departed father and not some imagined apparition.

"I never meant to leave you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"I miss you dad."

"I know." Thomas leaned out of the hug. "Take care of the girls for me."

"Goes without saying, Pops."

Thomas arched an eyebrow, "Pops?"

"What? Last time I saw you I was still calling you daddy. How about old man? Or Daddy-o?"

Thomas' paw rose up to Nick's neck, his thumb stroking his cheek. "I love you, little Nicky."

"I love you too, dad."

"Do me a favor, though. Have Judy take Nat clothes shopping. She'll never find a good mate looking like she's hauling gear for Panthertera."

"Looks like we feel the same about her fashion sense."

Nick's ear twitched as he heard footsteps behind him. Turning he saw Judy making her way up the hill towards him..

"Who else is up here with you?" She asked.

Nick looked back and saw that his father had gone.

"Just me and dad." He rubbed the top of the headstone.

"I thought I saw someone else up here when I was down at the entrance."

In general it's best not to lie to one's wife, or soon to be wife in Nick's case, but he was still processing exactly what happen.

"Must have been seeing things, Carrots."

"Dinner's been ready. Your mom thought you might have made your way here." She looked at the headstone, reading the meager inscription. "I wish I could have met him."

"Me too. He would have loved you."

"You think so?" She grabbed his paw and began walking back to the Wilde household.

"I know so."

"And why's that?"

"He'd love you because _I_ love you." Nick leaned down and kissed Judy on the cheek.

She wrapped herself around his arm.

"Can we name our first son Thomas?" Nick asked.

Judy stopped. "Our _first_ son?"

Nick pulled her back into motion, "Yeah, first. As in there will be more after that. I mean, you are a rabbit right? Good at multiplying and all that. Just kind of assumed that you'd want a mess load of kits."

He could swear he could feel her blushing against his arm. "Not a mess load. A few. We don't have the money nor the means to have a family like my parents'." She squeezed his arm tightly. "But yes, we'll name him Thomas."


	8. Chapter 8

**Epilogue: The Speech**

Nick stood and adjusted the jacket of his tux. He looked out at the tables in front of him, filled with a mixture of mammals he knew; friends, family, and acquaintances. Their murmuring died down as they saw him standing.

"We are all here to congratulate this fine couple as they begin their lives together."

A few cheers and a smattering of applause from the audience.

"And there are many who wish you the best. But, sadly," His ears fell mournfully back, "I can not be one of them."

The room fell deathly quiet.

"Obviously, you fine people don't understand. It's not any loss of love for them, but solely for selfish reasons. Let me explain." He turned towards the bride and groom.

"Finn. You've been there for me through thick and thin. My friend, my partner, my confidant. There are only two people on this planet that I've shared every secret thought, fear, and hope from the depths of my soul with. I married one of them." He waggled his fingers at one of the closer tables where Judy sat. "Hi darlin'. And sorry mom, but there's just some things a mother shouldn't know about her children.

"For all intents and purposes, you have been like a brother to me Finn. So don't think I don't wish you the best of fortune in your life. There were cadres… no, hordes… no, armies worth of girls for you to choose from. I know because I saw most of them leave your van the morning after. Which is also why I think you had to keep replace the suspension on it so often."

There were a few chuckles in the large hall.

"And out of all the mammals in Zootopia, in the entire world. You. Finn. My mammal. My brother. Had to marry _her_."

He motioned to the bride, who just shot back the same cocky grin he would have if she gave a similar speech at his wedding. While some of the crowd might have been confused or concerned where this speech was going, it didn't phase Finn or Natalie one bit.

"My brother, marrying my sister. Just on a surface level that's super weird for me. There should be laws against this. But there's not. I should know, I'm a cop. I looked and didn't find anything. This is perfectly legal. Unbelievable."

More guests were catching on the to absurdity of the speech and laughing.

"But it's even worse than that." Nick was starting to sound panicked as his voice picked up pace, "They're a great couple. And do any of you know what great couples do? They share everything with each other. Every. Thing. I estimate that by week's end, Nat will have squeezed everything about me out of Finnick. And then my life will be over. Because, and I want you to know I love you very much dear sister, you can not keep your trap shut.

"Soon after everyone will know everything about me." Nick was in a near frenzy, gesturing wildly as he spoke, "I'll be ridiculed and thrown off the force! Unable to support my own wife, with a child on the way, what is a fox to do! I won't be able to show my face anywhere in the city!"

"Hey! I'm a cop too." Judy yelled back.

"Why has nobody thought of how damning this union is to me?" He nearly howled in exasperation.

A spoonful of cake splatted against Nick's head. He turned and saw Finn laughing with a cake covered spoon in his hand.

"You little traitor." Nick grinned and was totally caught off guard when Natalie beaned him straight in the face with her entire slice.

"I despise both of you and hope you live long and loving lives."

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **The last chapter is the end of the story. This was just a funny little thought I had afterwards. Like a post credit "what happened to the cast" kind of thing. It's silly. But I like it.**


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